jerseyjoe Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Has anyone ever done an objective comparison chart showing which cart offers which features? Particularly between CC and Zen, SS, etc. Maybe, also a portion of the chart with some subjective elements such as "ease of this" or "easse of that" would be welcome. In search here for discussions of ZenCart, I get many irrelevant results (casual mentions, subjective comments, etc. ) but no real face-off comparisons. Anyone? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gwizard Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Face off ? No problem Cost: Zen - Open Source, free mods. osC - Open Source, free mods. CC - Free to use, cost to remove copyright, some free and some commercial mods. (that will change in next version) Usability: Zen - Many free addons, most of the functionality exists. osC - Tons of free addons, many different modules already in the base code. In fact - too much. CC - Few addons, some free, some not. Functionality is scarce, but enough for basic shop. Customizability: Zen - HELL. osC - Triple HELL. CC - Breeze. Support: Zen - Quite good. Forum full of helpful people who are willing to help. osC - Not good. Forums are quite dead. CC - Moderatly good. There are a select group of people who help others. Developer support is scarce. Development: Zen - Slow but steady. v1.3 just got out after nearly a year. osC - Virtually dead. No new version has been out for 3 years now. CC - Steady and good. Developer doesn't sit empty handed. Right now CC is at the start of it's life going to puberty. I know it's already v3, but from software point of view it still has many awkward places. In the future, features will add to base code, mods will be integrated, the product will be more mature and allow for more builtin functionality. I just hope that the process will not make CC as osC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
vokf Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Face off ? No problem Cost: Zen - Open Source, free mods. osC - Open Source, free mods. CC - Free to use, cost to remove copyright, some free and some commercial mods. (that will change in next version) Usability: Zen - Many free addons, most of the functionality exists. osC - Tons of free addons, many different modules already in the base code. In fact - too much. CC - Few addons, some free, some not. Functionality is scarce, but enough for basic shop. Customizability: Zen - HELL. osC - Triple HELL. CC - Breeze. Support: Zen - Quite good. Forum full of helpful people who are willing to help. osC - Not good. Forums are quite dead. CC - Moderatly good. There are a select group of people who help others. Developer support is scarce. Development: Zen - Slow but steady. v1.3 just got out after nearly a year. osC - Virtually dead. No new version has been out for 3 years now. CC - Steady and good. Developer doesn't sit empty handed. Right now CC is at the start of it's life going to puberty. I know it's already v3, but from software point of view it still has many awkward places. In the future, features will add to base code, mods will be integrated, the product will be more mature and allow for more builtin functionality. I just hope that the process will not make CC as osC. Hi GWizard, I agree with most of the above, and reading the last 10 posts in the "Installation & Upgrade Help " forum, there are a few replies by Sir William and 1 by Brooky. Some questions are unanswered in the forum. This is probably the most important forum on this site, if people can't install CC, they will wander off to other carts - possibly relating their bad experience with CC to others. However, I would class the support are fairly good in the forums. As a paying customer, I'd put a support ticket in IF the problem was serious enough to lose orders. I've tried Zen and osC, and didn't really "click" with either. CC was pretty easy to set-up and get working. I'll add another Cart in the pile: PDShop Pro (ASP Based cart for Windows Servers) Cost: $39.95-$149.00 Usability: Good - Options are far better than CC :-) Customizability: Hell! Program logic is embedded in page layout.. Code is well written, but sparse comments make modifications difficult. Support: Never really required, but the emails I've sent have been answered promptly. Development: Regular updates Worth a consideration for Windows Based servers, but CC beats it on the mod/skins front. I used this cart for about a year - having a background in ASP/SQL programming, I was able to make some mods, but after looking at other carts, I decided to move across to CC. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseyjoe Posted June 20, 2006 Author Share Posted June 20, 2006 Thanks. That's exactly what I was looking for. To take it further, what is it about Zen that makes customizing it hell? In other words, exactly how is Zen customized or skinned that is so limiting? What exactly can not be done with Zen, or is difficult to do in Zen, that is not difficult in CC? How is the ACP of Zen compared with that of CC? To me, CC's ACP seems pretty sophisticated and the next version promises even richer controls. But I have no standard for comparison. For all I know, Zen's ACP may be the Gold Standard. Which specific tools or controls does Zen's ACP lack in that department that are accessible in CC? TIA Face off ? No problem Cost: Zen - Open Source, free mods. osC - Open Source, free mods. CC - Free to use, cost to remove copyright, some free and some commercial mods. (that will change in next version) Usability: Zen - Many free addons, most of the functionality exists. osC - Tons of free addons, many different modules already in the base code. In fact - too much. CC - Few addons, some free, some not. Functionality is scarce, but enough for basic shop. Customizability: Zen - HELL. osC - Triple HELL. CC - Breeze. Support: Zen - Quite good. Forum full of helpful people who are willing to help. osC - Not good. Forums are quite dead. CC - Moderatly good. There are a select group of people who help others. Developer support is scarce. Development: Zen - Slow but steady. v1.3 just got out after nearly a year. osC - Virtually dead. No new version has been out for 3 years now. CC - Steady and good. Developer doesn't sit empty handed. Right now CC is at the start of it's life going to puberty. I know it's already v3, but from software point of view it still has many awkward places. In the future, features will add to base code, mods will be integrated, the product will be more mature and allow for more builtin functionality. I just hope that the process will not make CC as osC. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brivtech Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 I agree with most of the above, and reading the last 10 posts in the "Installation & Upgrade Help " forum, there are a few replies by Sir William and 1 by Brooky. Some questions are unanswered in the forum. This is probably the most important forum on this site, if people can't install CC, they will wander off to other carts - possibly relating their bad experience with CC to others. However, I would class the support are fairly good in the forums. As a paying customer, I'd put a support ticket in IF the problem was serious enough to lose orders. Development: Regular updates I'd like to touch on the support part. Many of the other systems seem to have a larger support base (more people dishing out the answers to problems), so for general questions, from my experience, you're more likely to get a response (Not in all cases!). I have several questions about simple things that have gone unanswered, and often see people on here getting incredibly frustrated from not being able to get an answer to something quite straightforward, BUT the point made here, and it's absolutely right, if the problem is serious enough, support tickets are promptly answered, and the quality of support is brilliant. Unfortunately for people evaluating the system, having to sign up to get the top support doesn't seem like a fair option to them when there's other systems to go and try. If I don't get an answer for something simple, I'll eventually bother Brooky, which I hate doing, because I know that when he's looking into my problems, he's not at the helm driving the updates forward. Having tested pretty much all of the other systems (2 of the companies now in liquidation), we eventually decided on CubeCart because of its adaptability. Sure, there's some big holes in it as it stands at this moment, but you have to consider that it is a young product, with a bright outlook. It's growing, and adapting, and the great thing about that (Which is no longer the case for other systems), is that feedback drives the direction which improvements will take. It's one thing to have every feature available that can be thought up, but another to actually need to apply them to your own webshop. We're eagerly watching the progress of 3.1.0 as we've got a huge list of MODs we're currently developing, or have planned. There's another point we love about CubeCart - Copyright removal. Many of the opensource systems don't allow for this as part of the open source licensing agreement. We provide ready-to-go systems for customers who want a system looking professional. I'm not suggesting for a moment, that other systems are not capable of providing a professional web shop, but my customers just don't want it, they don't want to give the impression that they have created a DIY webshop (No matter how nice the templating looks). At the end of the day, everyone has a choice over which system to use. One of the best ways of making a comparison, is to download, install and try the different systems. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gwizard Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Thanks. That's exactly what I was looking for. To take it further, what is it about Zen that makes customizing it hell? In other words, exactly how is Zen customized or skinned that is so limiting? What exactly can not be done with Zen, or is difficult to do in Zen, that is not difficult in CC? How is the ACP of Zen compared with that of CC? To me, CC's ACP seems pretty sophisticated and the next version promises even richer controls. But I have no standard for comparison. For all I know, Zen's ACP may be the Gold Standard. Which specific tools or controls does Zen's ACP lack in that department that are accessible in CC? I worked with Zen for 2 years so I will comment. Zen has pretty bad design as compared to CC. Everything is in functions with obscure names (not always, but usually) and without any documentation in the code to make the newbie programmer to understand what is going on. Templates are not PHP free and to make a customized template is not easy and intuitive at all. In v1.4 there will be complete separation of PHP from HTML so all I'm saying here might change. ACP in Zen is ok. It's feature rich and intuitive enough so that my not so computer savvy wife was able to operate it after short instruction. Actually, I find that Zen's ACP is a little better then CC's. The biggest problem of Zen is that it is based upon osC code wise. The developers took it to another direction by justly realizing how big and bloated osC became. But to completely change the core will take time and effort. I am happy to say that they are progressing in the right direction. Slow but steady. Does anyone can comment on X-Cart ? It seems many people here were using it and switched to CC. I wonder why. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vrakas Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Lets move this to the more appropriate section. This section is for General Support :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Brookbanks Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Developer support is scarce. I'm too tied with development and the support helpdesk to be able to get very involved on the forums these days I'm afraid. Typical day. Monday - Helpdesk all day. Rest of the week - Helpdesk until midday development there after whilst keep in an eye on the helpdesk. That gives four afternoons a week for development. p.s. 3.1.0 is coming on strong. I'm sure people will be blown away. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest vrakas Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 @gwizard Does anyone can comment on X-Cart ? It seems many people here were using it and switched to CC. I wonder why. Yes, to much in there to configure and most are useless From what i have read you seem to like all other carting systems and CC is the last on your favorite list but you also seem to "use" it, i wonder why if there are so many negatives in it? Just curious :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
convict Posted June 20, 2006 Share Posted June 20, 2006 Does anyone can comment on X-Cart ? It seems many people here were using it and switched to CC. I wonder why. 1) Commercial - pay and go 2) Expensive to price/power 3) Expensive made add-ons like additional features & skins 4) Too much expensive mods on demand 5) As vrakas says - to much in there to configure and most are useless LOL Typical day. Monday - Helpdesk all day. Rest of the week - Helpdesk until midday development there after whilst keep in an eye on the helpdesk. That gives four afternoons a week for development.Typical week job performance for any freelancer related to briliant cart - cubecart. :whistle: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brivtech Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 I'm too tied with development and the support helpdesk to be able to get very involved on the forums these days I'm afraid. Typical day. Monday - Helpdesk all day. Rest of the week - Helpdesk until midday development there after whilst keep in an eye on the helpdesk. That gives four afternoons a week for development. Is there not something we could all be doing to help you out a bit? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
convict Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 Is there not something we could all be doing to help you out a bit?Do not use Help Desk :whistle: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Brookbanks Posted June 21, 2006 Share Posted June 21, 2006 I love you guys. :whistle: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jerseyjoe Posted June 21, 2006 Author Share Posted June 21, 2006 I love you guys. Oh, jeez. Now you guys did it again. He's gone all wussie and dewy pants on us. That'll put 3.1 back for added months. Quick someone, pee in his beer so he'll get mean and grouchy again, ready to work. Say unkind thing about England's footie team - (hmmm, no. That's being done by our betters.). I've got it - King George was crazy! See, Brooky's normal again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gwizard Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 I'm too tied with development and the support helpdesk to be able to get very involved on the forums these days I'm afraid. Umm, Brooky, I didn't meant it as a flaim or something....just saying that since you but a one person you cannot do both things at once. If I to give an objective review, I must mention it. Please understand it the right way it's supposed to be. Do not use Help Desk Forgot to mention that CC is actively developed by an actuall LTD company Why do you think it needs to be mentioned ? Devellion is not liable if cc would get hacked or something so it is not different at all from open source project. Is there not something we could all be doing to help you out a bit? Yeah, get Brooky some employees ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gwizard Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 Ansuk, if no-one is activelly developing then the parameter for Development (how often new versions come out) and Support (how much developer gives support) will show that. Besides, I did wrote in my original post that CC is developed by Devellion and osC and Zen by Open Source group of developers. From your previos responces it seems that you do not quite comprehend what OS is really about. Perhaps you should study it a little bit so not to give misleading answers in your new capacity as Moderator :lol: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Brivtech Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 I love you guys. Oh, jeez. Now you guys did it again. He's gone all wussie and dewy pants on us. That'll put 3.1 back for added months. Quick someone, pee in his beer so he'll get mean and grouchy again, ready to work. Say unkind thing about England's footie team - (hmmm, no. That's being done by our betters.). I've got it - King George was crazy! See, Brooky's normal again. I don't think I've ever seen this much flirting on a support forum in my life! Just picture it now: CubeCart - The Virtual Soap Opera! - Romances - Bannings - Hacking It's got it all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest gwizard Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 Note how i start my reply with "For me" which implies that it is my opinion based on my own experiences Oh, sorry. I got a little carried away. That's what too few sleep hours do to you. @Brivtech Romances ? Is there something you wanna tell us ? ;) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted June 22, 2006 Share Posted June 22, 2006 Plain and simple i have used osc and cubecart and the reason i left osc to come to cubecart ask a question about discounts and after 6 months unanswered so i packed my bags and strolled on over and i havent looked back since nearly 2 years ago know (i will have to check see if my post ever did get a reply ) Cubecart = free to use, 2 active communities, free and commercial mods, free and commercial skins, support tickets (when licensed) regular updates and bug fixes. CUBECART ROCKS I guess 'ol homie' may be a bit biased but then im not tied to Devellion, Cubecart or Al (my flirting attempt) i just love the forum,support and helping everyone out. Bring on 3.1 its gonna knock you all for 6 when you see it CubeCart 3.1.0 - The next generation in online shopping. Above quote is copyrighted to 3:16 Designs Al :P Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Brookbanks Posted June 26, 2006 Share Posted June 26, 2006 @jerseyjoe - THATS IT I'M MAD NOW!! How dare anyone say that... LOL (brings release date forward 3 days) @gwizard - I know, I didn't take offence or anything I just wanted to let people know I don't spend all day in the pub expecting the forums to do all the work. (Well... not all of it) @evilhomer - Nice little slogan. ecommerce modified is a bit crap... One day I'l come up with something half decent. @Brivtech - After reading that I came to work this morning wearing a ball room dress with a face mask. Photos to come... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.